Joe Hagan, M.D. For AAP President

In most of the AAP presidential campaigns over the last 10 years, I'd consider one of the two selected choices to be a good friend. I unintentionally nearly always back the second-place finisher because I live in the practicing-pediatrician world and have few academic contacts, particularly outside the IT/EHR sphere.

Why do I think Dr. Hagan is the best choice for the position? I'll start with my biases. Yes, I've known him since I was a teenager. Yes, my wife and I bring our children to his practice. Yes, he's PCC's longest-running client. All true.

But I haven't met a more dedicated pediatrician, one who isn't afraid of public scrutiny, who can articulate the needs of both children and pediatricians (that last part is CRUCIAL) to an American public who still doesn't fully understand what a pediatrician does. And, unlike many of my friends in the SOAPM world, I have found his work on Bright Futures to be a HUGE boon for pediatricians - I cringe at the world that would exist had Dr. Hagan (and his other editors) not been involved.

Don't get me wrong - I know plenty of outstanding and amazing pediatricians. PCC's client ranks are filled with them. He's got amazing partners in his own practice. But Joe Hagan is the pediatrician who will stand up best for the pediatricians I know and the patients they serve.